of money is a limited resource

資金有限的津貼。

And in any particular moment,

在特定的時間裡，

you can only have that much of it.

你只能有這麼多分量。

We live in an age of constant distractions

我們生活在注意力不斷分散的時代，

nine to five is out, 24/7 is in.

朝九晚五不復存在，全年無休啟動。

With my smartphone in hand I bring my work

有了智慧型手機在身邊，

with me everywhere but our devices make us less attentive.

我的工作無所不在，但這項設備讓我們更難專心。

Having spent 10 years doing research in neurobiology,

花費十年研究神經生物學，

I wondered what technology does to our brains.

我不禁好奇科技對我們的大腦有何影響。

I set out to understand the science of distractions

我開始著手了解分心這門學問，

and learn how to be more focused

並學習該如何更專心，

and boost our productivity.

以及提高我們的生產力。

By some measures we're bombarded

在某種程度上，我們每天

by more than 63 notifications a day.

受到超過 63 件通知的轟炸。

We receive over 90 emails and write about 40 of them.

我們收到超過 90 封電郵，並撰寫約 40 封電郵。

On average we switch tasks every three minutes.

平均下來，我們每三分鐘就換一件差事。

When we face distractions two areas of the brain,

當我們面對分心的事時，大腦的

the parietal cortex and the frontal cortex are

頂葉皮質區和額葉兩個區塊

in a sort of tug of war with each other.

算是彼此處於拉鋸戰中。

Some research suggests that the parietal cortex responds

有些研究顯示頂葉皮質區會回應

to distractions, the frontal cortex which is involved

分心的事物，額葉則會在

in cognitively demanding tasks helps us maintain focus.

認知上較困難差事上保持專注。

So we get distracted if the activity

因此我們要是在頂葉皮質區

of the parietal cortex gets through to the frontal cortex.

通過額葉時就會分心。

If the frontal cortex can keep the parietal in check,

若額葉能約束好頂葉的話，

you stay focused.

你就能保持專心。

The brain is deciding what's important and what's not

大腦會決定事情的輕重緩急，

and that takes effort.

而這是很耗神的。

Even when you're cleaning your mailbox

就算是當你在清理信箱時，

and you're not actually doing hard cognitive work,

你其實並不是在做困難的認知性工作，

you kinda actually are, because there's all

只能算類似在做，是因為這些

these essentially micro decisions.

本質上都是些微型決策。

Looking at this email, do I need this,

看看這些郵件，我需要這些嗎？

and so each of those decision

因此這些決定都

requires a little bit more of cognitive effort

需要一點認知上的精力。

and so but when you add 2,000 of those,

所以當你將這些精力乘以兩千倍時，

you end up with no, no power

你就會變得精疲力盡到

to make any other important decisions

無法做任何重大決策了。

after that, if you deplete it.

之後，大概就會油盡燈枯。

- Tell me a little bit about the study

告訴我一些關於

that you did focused on email.

你在專注於電郵上的研究。

What we found was that checking email more frequently

我們發現每天從早到晚

throughout the day was associated

頻繁地檢查郵件和

with feeling more stressed and overwhelmed.

感受到更多壓力與不堪負荷有關連。

In the study, one group of people were asked

根據研究，有一群人被要求

to check their email whenever they wanted throughout the day

每天從早到晚隨他們意願查看電郵，

while the other group had to do it in batches.

而另一群人必須分批查看電郵。

We found that people who batched their emails three

我們發現每天分三到五次檢查電郵的人們

to five times a day felt less stressed and less overwhelmed.

感受到更少的壓力與不堪負荷感。

Why are these tasks that seem really menial,

為何這些看似乏味的差事

why are they so stressful and anxiety inducing?

卻能產生這麼多壓力和焦慮感？

You're basically doing something that other people need.

你基本上是在做他人所需的事情。

Let's imagine that attention is this calm lake

我們想像這些注意力是一片平靜湖泊

or you know the reflecting pool

或你所知的倒映池，

and then each notification is a little drop in that lake.

而每個通知都是湖泊中的一點水滴。

We can think of the reflectiveness as you know the ability

我們可以把反射性當作是

to actually focus on what's going on around us

你要真正專注在身邊事物的能力，

but when we have all these drops all the time,

但當我們無時無刻都有這些水滴時，

now you get a reflecting pool disturbed and frazzled.

你的倒映池就會被干擾和消耗殆盡。

- [Daniela] If email is like rain, notifications seem

若電郵就像雨水，通知對我們的

like a storm to our productivity and our ability to focus.

生產力和專注力就像暴風雨。

The higher the cognitive load the more susceptible we are

認知負荷量越高，我們就越容易受到

to new distractions.

新分心事物的干擾。

Notifications on our phones draw our attention away

手機上的通知將我們的注意力

from the task at hand so completing

從手邊需要更多精力

it may ultimately require more effort.

而未完成的差事上奪走。

Every time you get distracted

每當你因為通知而分心時，

by a notification you have to switch your attention

你必須轉換你的注意力

and switch it back, the switching in and of

然後再轉換回來，換來換去本身

itself actually requires cognitive effort

就需要認知心力。

and so you end up more depleted at the end of the day.

因此你整天下來變得更疲憊不堪。

- So what do we do as cellphone users to mitigate that?

那我們作為手機用戶又該如何緩解呢？

- Some things that I do

我的方法是

is I do have scheduled do not disturb times

我有個不受干擾的時間表，

which you can set on your phone

你可以在手機上設一個

when you know basically no notifications come in.

你確定基本上不會有通知的時間。

In general, I do keep my phone on silent.

一般來說，我會讓我的手機保持靜音。

I actually am like most people a little addicted

我其實和多數人一樣

to my email and a little addicted

對電郵有些上癮，也對社群網站

to social media and messages,

和訊息有些上癮。

so I do actually open those apps frequently enough

因此我確實常常打開那些 app

that I don't need to be reminded I need

但我不需要提醒自己

to open it every, every minute.

每分每秒都要打開它們。

- [Daniela] So to take new technologies we may first need

所以在使用新的科技前我們需要重新思考

to reconsider how and when we rely on them.

該如何與何時依賴它們。

We did a study not in an organization

我們在組織外做了一項研究，

but on campus where we asked students

我們在校園中請學生

to find a building either with their phones

有些人用手機，有些不用手機

or without the help of their phones.

來幫他們找建築物。

And yes the students who relied

確實，利用手機的學生

on their phones got to the building faster

更快找到建築物，

but these same students actually felt less connected

但這些學生也確實對於

to their community and so it's not a question

社區的連結性更薄弱，因此問題並不在於

of you know should we just do away

你是否該直接遠離這些設備，

with these devices but what is the price

而是對使用這些便利設備

of this convenient device.

所該付出的代價。

These social bonds that hold society together I think

我想這些能將社會集結在一起的

are getting more and more chipped away from us.

社會紐帶正日漸消失中。

Our devices and apps aren't the only way

我們的設備和 app 並非辦公室中唯一會將

to crush it at the office.

社會紐帶消磨殆盡的東西。

Casual conversations at work make us feel more connected,

科學研究顯示辦公中的尋常對話讓我們

happier, and productive that's what science is telling us.

更有連結感、更快樂和更有生產力。

(upbeat instrumental music)

(令人精神為之一振的音樂)